Shoot Your Eye Out
by RavenNTheNevermores
Summary: Dean can't believe he got away with this.


Dean can't believe he got away with this.

Cas' brow is knit in confusion and concentration, and it only adds to the hilarity of it all.

_Dean actually got Cas to stick his tongue to a pole._

Now the Angel is frowning around his tongue, pulling away slightly from the pole, then wincing and moving back into place when it threatens to rip his taste buds off.

Dean puts a hand over his mouth to keep from audibly laughing.

Cas glances over at him, a desperate plea for help in his eyes. Dean sighs, deciding he's had enough fun at Cas' expense for now, and walks over with the thermos of tea he brought exactly for this purpose.

"Here, this is gonna hurt a bit." he warns Cas, who gives a small nod of consent, even though he probably doesn't understand what Dean is planning to do. He pours the hot liquid over Cas' tongue, and the Angel winces in pain, but soon he's free, and Dean shoves a small snowball into his mouth to sooth the burn.

"Thanksh." Cas slurs around a mouthful of snow.

"Don't mention it." Dean pats Cas on the back and leads him back to Bobby's, walking slightly ahead to hide his smile. He still can't believe he got away with that.

Dean sets Cas down on Bobby's couch and moves to the kitchen to make him some cocoa. He purposefully takes his time making it, running down the clock until it's just a minute or two away from one in the afternoon. Dean isn't quite done messing with Cas yet.

He moves the TV in front of the couch and switches it on before handing Cas the mug and settling down next to him.  
"Oh, hey look, A Christmas Story's on." he says as if it's some big coincidence. "You seen this one, Cas?" He knows Cas hasn't. Cas wouldn't've stuck his tongue anywhere near that pole if he had.

Cas shakes his head, looking curiously at the screen as the movie comes on.

"Ah, you're gonna love it. This is a Christmas classic. I've seen it a hundred times."

Cas' face contorts in an interesting way when the kid gets his tongue stuck to a pole. Slowly, he turns to Dean with a look that conveys exactly how displeased he is with his actions.

"You knew."

Dean bites his lip, trying not to smile as Cas continues to glare at him.

"You knew, and you tricked me, Dean."

"You're missing the movie, Cas." He glares at Dean for another minute or so, then grudgingly returns his gaze to the TV, still sending waves of anger Dean's way.

Near the end of the movie, Cas seems to have all but forgotten it, and is instead looking at the screen with disbelief.

"Dean, that boy isn't really going to shoot his eye out, is he?"

"You gotta watch to find out, Cas." An annoyed frown tugs at Cas' mouth at Dean's unwillingness to cooperate.

"Who in their right mind would give a _child_ a _gun?"_ Cas grumbles, scooting forward to sit on the edge of his seat. Dean doesn't answer, instead tensing a little, swallowing down a memory. Cas glances at him, realizing his mistake. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Forget it." Damn. This _really_ isn't how Dean wanted today to go. Or any day, really.

"Dean-"

"My childhood was messed up, okay? I've accepted that. Let's move on." Still, there's a lump in Dean's throat that he can't swallow down.

He can feel Cas staring at him, and he wishes he'd stop. He doesn't need Cas looking at him with pity in those freakishly blue eyes.

Without a word, Cas turns his gaze back to the movie, watching silently as the kid nearly does shoot his eye out.

And then Dean feels Cas' shoulder against his, and the Angel's head rests against it as if to comfort him.

Dean breathes out a shaky breath, letting Cas' warmth melt away the memories, however cheesy that might sound.

"Do you really enjoy this movie, Dean?" Cas asks as they get to the part where the family's eating out at the Chinese place or whatever.

"Nah, I just saw it was gonna be on and felt like screwing with you." He feels Cas' head shift to glare at him and can't help but smile a little.

"You can be a dick sometimes, Dean."

"Yeah, but you love it." Cas goes strangely quiet, and suddenly Dean's nervous. "Hey," he starts, desperate to change the subject. "I think Bobby's got a copy of A New Hope around here somewhere. Wanna watch some Star Wars?" He stands, moving away from the couch awkwardly.

"All right." Cas' tone is flat, but Dean can tell that there's hurt in there somewhere.

Dean locates the movie and pops it in, then sits back down, a little further away from Cas than he was before, and sits silently through the movie.

"This film has many flaws in its logic." Cas comments, sitting on the edge of his seat despite his opinion.

"Shut up, Cas." Dean tells him, elbowing him a little with a faint smile on his lips. Cas gives a small smile back and closes the space between them, leaning against him again.

"I didn't say it was bad." Cas mutters, laying his head back onto Dean's shoulder.

"Good." is all he can say. He can't comment on how Cas is pressed up against him, or how badly he wants to reach over and take the Angel's hand to show him that they're all right. He just… he can't. He's not ready. Not yet. This is all he can manage for now.

He knows that Cas must know how he's feeling, but Cas stays silent. He's letting Dean get away with it. For now.


End file.
